During the afternoon of April 1, 2015, deputies responded to a West Palmdale home in the 2500 block of Alexander Avenue regarding a baby not breathing, according to a Palmdale Sheriff’s Station crime broadcast. (Photo by LUIS MEZA)

PALMDALE – A Palmdale infant remains in critical condition and his parents are facing child abuse charges in connection with an April 1 incident, authorities said.

George Zachary Prime (Google photo)

George Zachary Prime, 30, and Sahar Anita Prime, 31, aka Sahar Anita Rodriguez, are each charged with felony child abuse, and the complaint includes a special allegation that the defendants personally inflicted great bodily injury on Hayden P., a child under the age of five.

The victim is a 5-month-old baby boy who remains in critical condition at Children’s Hospital, Deputy District Attorney Jon Hatami stated Thursday.

Sheriff’s detectives have not released details on how the alleged abuse occurred. “I can confirm that it is an active child abuse investigation, but we’re not releasing any information at this time,” said Sgt. Brian Hudson of the Sheriff Department’s Special Victims Bureau when contacted Thursday.

George Prime publicly shared this image online with the caption “Proud to be a dad.” [Picture altered to hide face]The alleged child abuse occurred on or about April 1, according to the felony complaint.

That afternoon, deputies responded to a West Palmdale home in the 2500 block of Alexander Avenue regarding a baby not breathing, according to a Palmdale Sheriff’s Station crime broadcast.

An infant was rushed to the hospital, and deputies at the scene said a man in the home told them he had been playing with the baby and had swung the baby upside down. George Prime was arrested around 4:35 p.m. April 1, according to LASD inmate records. On April 6, George Prime and Sahar Prime were each charged with felony child abuse, and a warrant was issued for Sahar Prime’s arrest, according to court records.

Sahar Prime, aka Sahar Rodriguez (Facebook photo)

Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges, and Sahar Prime was released on her own recognizance April 13, according to court records.

The criminal complaint was amended April 16 to include more than two dozen charges, many of them drug-related. George Prime was additionally charged with possessing a controlled substance (methamphetamine), being under the influence of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), and 19 misdemeanor counts of possessing an injection/ingestion device, according to the amended criminal complaint.

Both George Prime and Sahar Prime were additionally charged with maintaining a place for selling or using a controlled substance(methamphetamine) and cruelty to a child by endangering health, according to the amended criminal complaint. George Prime was further charged with resisting arrest and resisting an executive officer. The amended criminal complaint also alleges that George Prime suffered a prior felony conviction in 2002 for lewd acts with a child under age 14.

George Prime’s bail was increased Thursday to $235,000, and he remains in county jail.

Based on the amended charges, the deputy district attorney requested that Sahar Prime be remanded to custody, as well. A bail hearing for Sahar Prime is set for April 22, according to Hatami.

[Luis Meza contributed to this report.]

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UPDATED April 22, 2015: The bail review hearing for Sahar Prime started Wednesday but did not finish. Sahar Prime’s defense attorney, Carlos Morales, argued that his client should be allowed to remain out of custody on her own recognizance because she does not pose a danger to public safety, she has a clean record and she has been gainfully employed since 2003. He said Sahar Prime was at work on April 1 when the alleged child abuse occurred. Deputy District Attorney Jon Hatami said Sahar Prime violated her deferred entry of judgment (DEJ) and should be remanded with bail set at $160,000. Sahar Prime was placed on DEJ after pleading no contest to petty theft in connection with an incident last year when she was caught stealing from Walmart with her newborn baby in tow, Hatami said. The bail review hearing is expected to continue Thursday.